1996

1998

The University receives its first five-year accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. UHS is one of eight leading medical schools, including Harvard and Vanderbilt, to receive a prestigious John Templeton Foundation Spirituality in Medicine Award.

1999

Alumni Hall is renamed Leonard Smith Hall. The University joins with seven other leading research institutions in forming the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute.

2000

Genesis 2000, a three-year curriculum revision project, is integrated into the first-year curriculum and provides case-based learning with earlier clinical opportunities. The Mary Lou Butterworth, DO, Alumni Center is completed. Campaign 2000, the University's first major capital campaign, is launched.

2001

UHS and Rockhurst University inaugurate a dual-degree DO-MBA in healthcare leadership program.

2002

The University receives its first national challenge grant of $500,000 from The Kresge Foundation.

2003

The University receives a second Spirituality in Medicine Award from the John Templeton Foundation. The Educational Pavilion is renamed the Darwin J. and Suzanne Strickland Education Pavilion. Campaign 2000 ends with more than $16 million in contributions.

2004

The University's name is changed to Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. The Paul W. and Mary L. Dybedal Center for Research opens.

2006

The College of Biosciences confers the first master of science in biomedical sciences degrees to 17 students. The Center for Clinical Competence opens, providing the first center in the region dedicated to human patient simulator and standardized patient programs.

2007

KCU launches a dual-degree program offering students the opportunity to earn a doctor of osteopathic medicine and a master of arts in bioethics. The University officially opens Weaver Auditorium, a 1,500-seat auditorium named in honor of Jack T. Weaver, DO, Mary Weaver, Howard D. Weaver, DO, and Debra S. Albers, DO The Kesselheim Center for Clinical Competence is named in honor of Howard I. Kesselheim, DO, and his wife, Tina S. Kesselheim.

2008

KCU expands its bioethics degree offerings to include a one-year track and a part-time professional studies program for working adults. KCU relocates its primary care office, KCU Physician Associates, on the campus of St. Joseph's Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo.

2009

The College of Biosciences confers the first masters of art in bioethics degrees to 24 students. KCU breaks ground on three new construction projects: a campus park and garden, the D'Angelo Library and a new student activities center.

2010

H. Danny Weaver, DO, becomes the University's 12th president.

2011

KCU celebrated the opening of two new campus facilities that would dramatically improve students' experiences, the Student Activities Center and the D'Angelo Library. KCU inaugurated H. Danny Weaver, DO, as 12th president during an investiture ceremony on Sept. 22, 2011. The Community Garden and Park opens, offering a park-like setting for employees and students to participate in collective gardening and harvest produce to donate to local charity initiatives.

2012

The cities of Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan., respond to a request by KCU and issue a mayoral proclamation of Osteopathic Medicine Week during April 15-21. Score 1 for Health is officially incorporated into KCU and celebrates its 20th anniversary of providing free health screenings to urban schools in the Kansas City area.

2013

Marshall Walker, DO, is named as KCU's 13th president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1, 2013. The position is an interim one, until a national search for a permanent president is completed.

KCU begins the process of integrating tablet technology into the curriculum to increase sustainability efforts and provide students with a technological edge. As part of the effort, the University distributes Apple iPads and iPad minis to faculty and students.

Marc B. Hahn, DO, FAOCA, is named as KCU's 14th president and chief executive officer, effective July 1, 2013.

KCU unveils its Campus Master Plan, designed to identify facilities needs for the next 10 years. The aggressive plan includes remodeling some existing facilities and adding new buildings to the campus.

KCU partners with the Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, Missouri’s first Federally Qualified Health Center, to improve access to medical care in the Northeast Neighborhood they both call home. KCU’s faculty physicians join SURHC’s existing staff in October. In addition, the University announces partnerships with the KC Care Clinic, the largest historically free clinic in the United States, and Research Medical Center’s Goppert-Trinity Family Care Center.

2014

Officials announce the addition of a military track to the College of Osteopathic Medicine curriculum, making KCU only the third medical school in the United States to offer specialized training for military students.

On May 17, KCU celebrates the 10,000th graduate of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

In July, KCU celebrates the opening of the new Academic Center. The Academic Center, which sits adjacent to both the D’Angelo Library and the Student Activities Center, houses two large lecture halls, as well as breakout rooms for smaller study groups. By renovating the former Weaver Auditorium space, the Academic Center cost KCU approximately half of what a newly constructed building would have.

In the fall, KCU closes the historic Administration Building for renovations. Built in 1916 as the original Children’s Mercy Hospital, the Administration Building was last renovated in the early 1970s and requires significant improvements to meet the needs of a state-of-the-art institution of higher education. In addition, a new Welcome Center will be added to the north side of the building, creating an inviting entry point for students, alumni and other guests.

KCU receives a $1 million gift from the estate of the late William Geb, DO (COM ’50), one of the largest gifts in the University’s history.